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Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Kikuo Iwata said on Wednesday the central bank will not hesitate to ease monetary policy if further deterioration in emerging economies hurts Japan's broad uptrend in inflation.

PHOTO: REUTERS

[OKAYAMA] Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Kikuo Iwata said on Wednesday the central bank will not hesitate to ease monetary policy if further deterioration in emerging economies hurts Japan's broad uptrend in inflation.

"The most significant risk at the moment is the possibility that a further slowdown in emerging economies ... will exert negative effects on Japan's economy and weigh on the underlying trend in inflation," Mr Iwata said in a speech to business leaders in Okayama, western Japan.

The BOJ has kept monetary policy steady since last October, even as the economy relapsed into recession and slumping energy costs push inflation further away from its 2 per cent target.